Amb. arch epiji. 1996. 7. 214-239 Printed in Duiiiuiuk. All vifilits reserved Copyright 0 Miinksjiaard 19Y6 Arabian archaeology and epigraphy ISSN 0905-7196 Husn Awhala: A late prehstoric settlement in southern Fujairah D.T. POTTS, L. WEEKS, P. MAGEE, E. THOMPSON AND P. SMART School of Archaeology, The University of Sydney, NSW Australia Introduction On 2 January 1996, a previously unre- corded prehistoric settlement was dis- covered at Awhala by a team from the University of Sydney’s Australian Ex- pedition to the United Arab Emirates, working in conjunction with the Depart- ment of Antiquities and Heritage of the Government of Fujairah (1). Located in the southeastern corner of the Emirate of Fujairah, Awhala is only 9 km as the crow flies from the Batinah coast town of A1 Murayr in the Sultanate of Oman (Fig. 1). For non-U.A.E. residents unable to drive down the coast road from Fujairah past the U.A.E.-Oman border post at Khatmat Malahah, however, it is accessible from the south by driving along a series of tracks from the Wadi Munay‘i (which can be reached from the Wadi al-Qawr and a road leading eventually to Hatta) or from the north by driving to Khor Kalba and turning inland along an unpaved track which leads from Ghayl to Awhala and the hot springs at A1 ‘Ayn a1 Ghamur. Awhala is today a small village over- looking the Wadi Hilu (Fig. 2) which is not more than 3 km from the Omani border post at Aswad. Pre-Islamic graves are located on both sides of the wadi. A series of particularly large ones, remi- niscent of the third millennium tombs at Jabal al-Emalah south of Dhayd, are located just on the eastern outskirts of the village itself, while a number of smaller ones are set along the southern terrace of the Wadi Hilu in sight of the village. A short distance from the mosque of Awhala is a ruined fort of uncertain age, known locally as Husn Awhala (Fig. 3). The ru- ined building of mud-plaster and stone consists of a rectangle with a single, semi- intact corner tower on its northwest corner (Fig. 4). Several other structures abut the building on its east side. The building backs directly onto the edge of the wadi, which is roughly 10 m below. Driving into the village for the first time we pulled up outside the ruined Husn and on stepping out of the vehicle im- mediately noticed diagnostic sherds of Iron I1 pottery (2) on the surface. The existence of a raised, apparently mounded area within the Husn, and the visibility on the surface there of several stone walls, suggested that the occupation was a sub- stantial one. Given the rarity of prehistoric settlements in Fujairah, it was decided that an exploratory sounding would be undertaken to determine the chronological extent of occupation at Awhala, and to ob- tain samples for radiometric dating. Exca- 214